A different way to see the Annapurna Mountains!
While newcomers to Nepal tend to think Mt. Everest first, seasoned trekkers prefer to go westward to the region of Pokhara. The skyline here is more impressive along with views of large, deep blue lakes. One of the newest treks in this region is the Mardi Himal Trek. It’s a 12 day adventure where you can see a different side of the Annapurna Mountain Range. This trip combines impressive alpine scenery with an exquisite opportunity to discover a myriad of local cultures.
The Mardi Himal Trek is just six days of trekking on the western side of Pokhara. You will meet the Gurung and Tamang people along with other smaller ethnic groups. It’s a truly awesome experience as you see Mt. Dhaulagiri, Mt. Manaslu and Mt. Annapurna I, the 7th, 8th and 10th highest peaks in the world. There are few tourists and more native people. All along the way, enjoy outstanding alpine scenery that only the Himalayas can offer!
DAY TO DAY TRIP ITINERARY
DAY 01: Arrival in Kathmandu (Elev. 1,440 m / 4,724 ft)
The excitement grows as your plane gets closer and closer to Kathmandu, the mystical capital city of Nepal. The plane touches down at Tribhuvan International Airport where you deplane. Make your way through passport control and into the fresh, crisp Himalayan air. It is here that you will meet your representative of Himalayan Planet Adventures. Be taken by private car to your hotel to refresh yourself from your long flight. You will then be taken by private car to the world headquarters of Himalayan Planet Adventures for an orientation on your Mardi Himal Trek. You will meet your guide, and then enjoy a cultural program complete with authentic Nepali food and traditional dancing.
Elevation: (4,592 ft / 1,400 m)
DAY 02: Exploring Kathmandu
It’s a day of experiencing the incredible atmosphere in the mystical city of Kathmandu. Dating back thousands of years, its narrow streets are speckled with temples. Explore colorful marketplaces and exquisite temples before arriving at Kathmandu’s Durbar Square where you will see the ancient royal palace. This is where our kings were crowned as late as 2001. There are about 60 temples here as well as the place of the Kumari, the living goddess. Then we take to you visit Swayambhunath Stupa, one of the famous Buddhist pilgrimage site and highest point of Kathmandu Valley.
Then we precede your trip to Pashupatinath, a major Hindu Temple, Holy Man and crematoria. Then we take you to most liked World heritage site Bouddhanath Stupa. As you return to your hotel for the evening. Get a good night’s sleep as you prepare for the morning’s drive to Pokhara.
Distance: 21.2 km
Duration: Max. 7 hrs
Visiting places: 4 sites
DAY 03: Drive to Pokhara
It’s about a seven hour drive by first-class bus to the fabled Himalayan city of Pokhara. Nestled on the eastern shores of magnificent Lake Phewa, this city has the finest mountain scape of anywhere in the Himalayas. The journey will take you across the pass out of the Kathmandu Valley. Drop down through the switchbacks of the highway into the Trisuli River Valley. We follow the Trisuli River for several hours until Mugling when the road goes westward to reach Pokhara. All along the way on clear days are fabulous views of the Himalayas. We finally arrive in Pokhara and check into our hotel for the night. Enjoy roaming about Lakeside District on the shores of Lake Phewa where there are numerous restaurants and gift shops.
Elevation: (2,713 ft / 827 m)
Distance: 200.9 km
Duration: Max. 7 hrs
DAY 04: Drive to Kande, Trek to Deurali
Today is the first day of trekking. Pokhara is sub-tropical in climate. We will leave that behind as we travel to the village of Kande where we begin our trek. We ascend along the trail. Watch for waterfalls and colorful wildflowers. This is mostly rhododendron and pine forests. We trek about four hours today to reach the village of Deurali where we will spend the night in a tea house.
Elevation: (6,759 ft. / 2,060 m)
Distance: (10.4 km)
Duration: (5 hrs)
DAY 05: Trek to Kokar Forest Camp
We rise early to start our trek to Kokar Forest Camp, today’s destination. We will ascend another 500 meters through beautiful forests. We see the locals traveling up and down the dirt trail. It is a good trail where we pass farms and small villages of smiling residents. We stop at one of these villages along the way. We finally reach Kokar Forest Camp where we start to get some good views of the high Himalayas. This is a new stopping point with a nice, but basic guest house. Trekking time is around 5 – 6 hours.
Elevation: (8,202 ft / 2,500 m)
Distance: (6.5 km)
Duration: (5 hrs)
DAY 06: Trek to High Camp
Climbers have been discovering Mardi Himal (Himal is Nepali for mountain) as a great short climb. It’s challenging, and offers some fantastic views from its summit. We aren’t going to be climbing Mardi Himal, but we will spend our third night here. The vegetation clings closer to the ground the higher we climb. We have left behind the dense forests of the lower elevations. This is yak Kharkas where the local herders will bring their animals for summer grazing in the high pastures. We trek around 4 – 5 hours to reach High Camp. Again, there is a small lodge where we will spend the night.
Elevation: (11,745 ft / 3,580 m)
Distance: (7 km)
Duration: (4-5 hrs)
DAY 7 – Trek to Mardi Himal Base Camp then down to Badal Danda
We reach the highest point of our trek today as we reach Mardi Himal Base Camp. This is where climbers begin their ascent of the mountain, which rises to an elevation of 5,587 m/18,330 ft. What makes this mountain so wonderful of an experience is that it offers a close-up view of Mt. Machapuchhre, the most identifiable mountain in the Annapurna Range. It is also known as “fishtail mountain” because it does look like an up righted fish with its tail in the air. On our trek today we can see Mt. Dhaulagiri, the 7th highest mountain in the world. Also visible is Mt. Manaslu (Spirit Mountain) to the east, the 8th highest mountain. The third massive peak is Mt. Annapurna I, the 10th highest mountain in the world. It’s a beautiful day for trekking. We reach Mardi Himal Base Camp for great views, and then start our trek downhill to reach Badal Danda where we will spend the night.
Elevation: Mardi Himal base camp (14,764 ft / 4,500 m), Badal Danda (10,531 ft / 3210 m)
Distance: (17 km)
Duration: (7-8 hrs)
DAY 8 – Trek to Kalimati
Today we return to the forests in order to reach Kalimati. Following fast flowing glacial-fed rivers, we find our journey taking us through a variety of eco-zones. We go from alpine with little vegetation to beautiful, dense forests. We will spend the night in Kalimati.
Elevation: (5,250 ft / 1,600 m)
Distance: (15.2 km)
Duration: (5-6 hrs)
DAY 9 – Trek to Lwang Valley Home
We continue to descend, this time coming into the pretty Lwang Valley where we will spend the night. It’s a nice place. While the lodging is simple, the food is good and the hospitality awesome. This is our final day of trekking as we pass farms and pastureland. It’s much gentler today as we reach our destination. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.
Elevation: (4,921 ft / 1500 m)
Distance: (14.8 km)
Duration: (5-6 hrs)
DAY 10 – Return to Pokhara
Here we can get local transportation will take us back to Pokhara. It’s about a two hour journey as we go from dirt roads until we reach the pavement. We check into our hotel. The rest of the day is free. Enjoy exploring around Pokhara. Take a boat ride on Phewa Lake or a taxi to reach the Buddhist Peace Pagoda. Relax in the parks along the lake or visit Devi Falls. Pokhara is a lovely place.
Elevation: (2,713 ft / 827 m)
Distance: 17.3 km
Duration: 1.5 hrs drive
DAY 11 – Return to Kathmandu
We retrace our steps to return to Kathmandu. We follow along the fast-flowing rivers until we reach Mugling. There we rejoin the fabled Trishuli River. This is a wonderful rafting river with all kinds of challenges. Keep watch and you’ll see rafts going down the river. We reach Kathmandu in 7 – 8 hours, depending upon traffic. We check into our hotel for our final night. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner.
Elevation: (4,592 ft / 1,400 m)
Distance: 200.9 km
Duration: Max. 7 hrs
DAY 12 – Departure
It’s time to depart from the enchanted land in the Himalayas. Of course, you can always extend your holiday. You can even plan for your return trip to the land of the snow leopard. Whatever you choose to do, you now have friends at Himalayan Travel Adventures who can really make a difference when planning any kind of Himalayan experience. Be sure to look at all the options before leaving. Like they say, “a lifetime is not enough to see all Nepal has to offer!”
